Chapter 1

Five years after the breakup, I moved to a new city and switched jobs. Even my mom didn't know where I lived now.

I did this only to avoid Averie Kane's little brother. We had a two-year secret relationship back then, and it was thrilling.

But when we broke up, he snarled with bloodshot eyes, "Chloe, if I ever see you again, it's going to end badly for one of us."

Today, right after I sweetly told my baby girl that I'd be home soon, Averie, my best friend, pinned me down and shouted to Asher Kane, "I've got her. She even has a kid now. There's nowhere left for her to run."

Watching Asher, my ex-boyfriend, approach with fury blazing in his eyes, I knew I was completely doomed.

*****

"Baby girl, Mommy will be back soon, don't scratch anything." I put on my sweetest, most syrupy voice as I spoke into the phone, fumbling with my keys at the door.

"Chloe." Averie's voice boomed out behind me.

My hand jerked, and the keys hit the floor with a loud clatter. Every hair on my body stood on end. I'd know that voice even in my sleep.

It was Averie, my best friend. But honestly, it wasn't Averie I was scared of. It was her crazy brother, Asher.

I turned around stiffly, forcing a smile uglier than crying. "Averie, long time no see. What brings you here?"

"Chloe, you little brat. Five years gone, no calls, no texts. I was about to file a missing person report," Averie snapped. She stood there in a sharp business suit, hands on her hips, looking ready to hunt me down for what I owed her.

Before I could even come up with a decent excuse, her radar-like eyes scanned me up and down, and she grabbed my arm with a grip so tight it felt like she was afraid I'd fly away.

Then, she whipped around and yelled at the top of her lungs toward a shiny black Cullinan parked nearby, "Asher, get over here. Help me grab Chloe. Let's see where she can run now."

My brain just crashed.

Five years had passed, and the name Asher had been like a tattoo etched into my heart. Every time I touched upon it, it hurt.

Back then, I was Averie's best friend, and Asher was her little brother. We were sneaking around for two years, carrying the weight of a forbidden romance. Every day we felt like walking a tightrope, terrifying, but the adrenaline rush was addictive.

But when we finally broke up, things blew up in the worst way possible.

He cornered me in the alley behind the school. His bloodshot eyes filled with madness and a desire for destruction. He gritted his teeth and snapped, "Chloe, you really are something. Don't let me see you again, or else, you'll regret it."

That night, I ran for my life, changed every bit of contact info, and ghosted him like I'd never even existed, hiding from Asher for a full five years.

I honestly thought I'd never have to see him again in this lifetime.

But now, the door of the Cullinan swung open, and a long, lean leg stepped out. Then, a man in a designer suit, tall and with a presence that made it impossible to look away, got out of the car.

The evening sunlight cast a golden glow around him, but there was zero warmth in it.

Five years had wiped away any trace of the boy he used to be. He had this intense, almost suffocating vibe. His face was even more handsome than I remembered, and completely untouchable.

He strode over, every step of his dress shoes landing like a punch straight to my nerves.

My heart was pounding, and my hands and feet were ice-cold. All I wanted was to immediately find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

"Run. Why aren't you running now?" Averie was fanning the flames on the sidelines, totally oblivious to how dire things were.

I didn't have the strength to run away. My legs had long since stopped obeying me.

Asher finally stopped right in front of me, looking down with an icy glare. His gaze was like a blade, slicing me up bit by bit.

I swallowed hard, feeling like I was suffocating.

"Averie," he said to Averie. Then he said to me, his voice low and rough, dripping with sarcasm, "Didn't waste any time, did you? Already got yourself a kid?"

He must have heard the call just now.

I opened my mouth, trying to explain, but my throat was so dry that I couldn't get a single word out.

Averie, the ultimate backstabber, was still going off. "Right? I heard it too. You said to your baby girl sweetly. Chloe, seriously, you had a kid and didn't tell me? Quick, bring her out and let her see Asher."

I stared at Asher in horror.

He gave a cold, almost mocking smile, so frigid it felt like a chill cutting right through me.

"Yeah," he said, his eyes locked on mine, each word slow and deliberate. "Bring the kid out and let her call me Daddy."

Those last two words were barely a whisper, but they hit me like bullets, straight through my skull.

This was it. Now, I had been in so deep that I couldn't have cleared my name even if I tried.